One solution to the problem insofar as automatic air carbon-arc cutting and gouging torch is proposed by the inventors in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 269,183, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,566. In the device of the patent application a large collector and water cooling is used to quench the molten metal and/or slag particles which are then exhausted along with the water and any process generated gases to a separation device.
Fume collectors have been known for some time and are widely available for use with conventional welding torches. Such devices are associated with a welding torch wherein as the welding proceeds the volumes of fume generated are forcibly removed by creating a partial vacuum in a sleeve disposed near the nozzle of the torch. The collected fume is sucked away from the torch head through a conduit and disposed of in a safe manner is as well known in the air handling art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,038 discloses an accessory that can be used with the air carbon-arc cutting and gouging process for removing solid particulate matter from the vacinity of the arc. The device shown in the '038 patent is a hand-held tool or a machine mounted tool that is used in close proximity to the air carbon-arc cutting and gouging torch. While the device of the '038 patent will remove some process generated fume it will not provide the type of atmosphere movement to comply with current air pollution requirements. Furthermore, a device of this type becomes quickly clogged by the slag that will adhere to the mouth as well as the walls of the nozzle, thus requiring the operator to manually clean the device at frequent intervals.
The literature shows that in Japan installations employing the air carbon-arc cutting and gouging process have utilized conventional tables with a water bath to collect slag generated by the process. The Japanese have further combined the conventional water table with an acoustically lined hood to contain fume and to control the noise level of the process in the immediate environment of the process user. The heavy slag particles fall freely into a receptacle in the lower part of the apparatus which contains a water bath. With a device of this type the slag will stick together or fuse into a solid mass and will adhere to the sidewalls of the receptacle, thus necessitating mechanical removal of the slag from the walls. This type of apparatus is not useable with a hand operated air carbon-arc cutting and gouging torch requiring a fixed installation where the workpiece must be transported to the installation to be treated.